By Nasser J. Kazeminy

It is one of countless resolutions introduced on Capitol Hill this year, easy to overlook amid the daily noise of Washington. And yet it may be one of the most meaningful calls to action our Congress has considered in years.

Earlier this session, Republican Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas and Long Island’s Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi introduced a resolution calling for the establishment of a national “Day of Honor and Respect.” That two members of Congress, representing very different districts and constituencies, could come together to co-author this resolution is itself a testament to something enduring in the American character: our capacity to find common purpose even amid disagreement.

The resolution’s purpose is simple and yet profound. It asks Americans to pause and celebrate the values we share.

It reminds us that our nation has long drawn its strength from the talents, ingenuity, and courage of tens of millions of people who came here from around the world seeking refuge, opportunity, and freedom. Nearly 40% of Americans today can trace their family’s arrival through Ellis Island, once our nation’s gateway to freedom, in the shadow of a Statue of Liberty that still stands as a symbol of hope to the entire world.

At the heart of the resolution is our founding motto, E Pluribus Unum, “Out of many, one,” and Abraham Lincoln’s timeless call to heed “the better angels of our nature.” Few understood better than Lincoln that unity is not the absence of disagreement, but the choice to rise above it.

The resolution calls on Congress to establish this National Day of Honor and Respect alongside Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, honoring the contributions of immigrants and Americans of every background, encouraging communities to build respectful, shared programs of civic pride, and reaffirming our national commitment to rejecting hatred and discrimination in all its forms, while promoting civic education and public service nationwide.

Former Indiana Congressman Dan Burton, my colleague and a fellow board member of the Ellis Island Honors Society, called the resolution “an important contribution to healing our country,” and I share his hope for its passage. This is a moment to remind ourselves, and the world, of what makes America exceptional: our enduring ability to come together in celebration of the ideals we all still share.

The timing could not be any more poignant or appropriate as we approach the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorists who sought to destroy our nation’s spirit through their murderous attacks viewed our nation of immigrants with loathing and disdain. They despised the very idea that we could honor and respect those of different faiths, ethnicity or political opinions. They sought to extinguish the very beacon of hope that America continues to serve for people around the world.

Twenty-five years after that attack, a powerful memorial at Ground Zero will host the families of those lost that day. It will take place within sight of nearby Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. These two national icons stand in defiance of those forces who sought to break our spirit and destroy the legacy of the tens of millions of immigrants who have created a vibrant, dynamic and extraordinary America.

As a means of strengthening that legacy, I urge every member of Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, to support this resolution that will create a Day of Honor and Respect. In addition, I urge every American to make their voices heard by advocating for a day will allows us to celebrate immigrants, past and present, who have been an essential part of what had made this nation great.

Nasser J. Kazeminy of Palm Beach is chairman of the Ellis Island Honors Society and a naturalized U.S. citizen.